Endlessly
by Alcarcalime and Coffeebean
Summary: Time had helped Ginny forget everything and helped her heal the wounds. But time had also brought back the one true love of her life she thought she had lost...now that everything seemed to be totally fine.
1. Chapter 1: Homecoming

**Chapter 1: Homecoming**

Tick…tick…tick…BUUUUZZZZZ!

"Rise and shine, London! And it's a beautiful Sunday morning, chaps! The coffee is boiling, the cauldron is simmering, and it's the WWN here ready to brighten up your sullen days! And in today's entertainment news, singing sorceress Celestina Warbeck shocked the whole Wizarding world when she announced her third engagement this morning in front of—"

BAM!

"Shut—up!" Ginny Weasley muttered sleepily, hitting the wireless with her diary.

Yes, it was Sunday. A beautiful Sunday morning, indeed. The sun was way up in the sky, washing Ginny's whole bedroom with whiteness. It was mid-morning, and the birds that had been singing a familiar melody were now long gone and were replaced by Mr. Mackenzie's Muggle thingamajig next door, making Ginny's eyebrows knot in annoyance. _First singers, now lawnmowers_,she thought grumpily, her eyes still shut tight as she tried to regain the sleep she just had.

It was the day she had been waiting for all week. No hospital work, no cranky bosses, no bawling babies from the downstairs ward, no errands—in other words, absolute freedom. It would only be Ginny and her bed, and her bed alone. It was time to get the sleep she had been longing for since Monday.

But with that wretched wireless screaming about singing sorceresses Ginny didn't care about and Mr. Gadget-Happy-Next-Door-Neighbor using his irritatingly noisy Muggle junk, it was impossible for her to have a bit of a lie-in. So much for beauty sleep. It wasn't a mystery now why her mum was annoyed with her father's obsession with Muggle things.

Ginny buried herself deeper into the covers, trying to remember the dream she'd been having about dewdrops and tulips…. Her mind's eye could see the Burrow's lawn and the gnomes running about…. She could hear the catcalls from her twin brothers and she could hear Harry saying nervously, "Gin, I—I was thinking—"…. Her lips were curving into a smile….

"—and the defense is appealing to the Wizengamot.' That was Sophia—"

"ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT! I'M GETTING UP!" Ginny screamed loudly, grabbing the wireless and banging it hard on her bedside table. _Why did I ever buy that piece of junk_, she thought grumpily and saw the clock on her bedside table say, "You're late!"

Ignoring the words on her clock, Ginny tied her long red hair into a ponytail. It was Sunday; there was no work. How could she be late?

She dragged herself out to the kitchen and found her flatmate Fiona Berkley sipping a mug of coffee and reading the _Daily Prophet_. Fiona looked up and smirked at her. "And I thought you'd never wake up."

"Morning to you, too." Ginny yawned, grabbing a mug from the pantry. "A dozen Aurors came to St. Mungo's last night. I think they came from some raid. Everyone's home so I had no choice but to stay and help."

Fiona smiled and tapped her mug with her wand to heat it. "I told you that you should come home in the late afternoon."

"Yes, but I thought I could have a long sleep today, you know." Ginny sighed and poured coffee into her mug. "Remind me not to buy things that are purple and fluffy. I swear that wireless is going to the rubbish bin. I'm getting rid of it. I can't believe I let Tara make me buy that thing."

Fiona laughed. "Don't let her hear that. She's awake in her room, you know."

Ginny turned her head toward the door at the opposite side of the dining table and shrugged. "She went out last night then?"

"Apparently. She was stressed out from all the classes at the Dance School and said she needed to 'release some pent-up energy,'" Fiona said, throwing the newspaper at the chair beside her. "And releasing energy meant not coming home last night. She just got home, you know. And I'm betting ten Galleons that that woman met some bloke in The Dungeon."

"Oh, not again." Ginny groaned. "Please, after that fiasco with Luke, I thought she was over with it."

Fiona stood up and started igniting the stove. "Oh, you know her, Ginny. She'll never get tired of it as long as it's someone as obsessive compulsive as she is."

As if on cue, the door swung open to reveal a petite blonde with violet eyes walking toward them, clutching her stomach. "Fiona, how many times do I have to tell you not to use your Sleekeazy in the shower? I told you it clogs the drain and you know that cleaning the drain is not an easy job, even with magic!"

"All right, all right," Fiona said, rolling her eyes and going to the bathroom. "I'll clean it up, Your Highness."

"Fun night?" Ginny asked as she poured coffee into Tara's mug.

"Not really." Tara shrugged before sitting beside her. "Chris insisted on going back to his place before the Weird Sisters could even start playing."

"Chris?"

"He's a Herbologist. He's researching the uses of toadstools and his team is studying horned toads," Tara said, grinning. "Exciting, isn't it?"

Before Ginny could ask her what was so thrilling about horned toads, Fiona walked into the room and voiced her thoughts. "Horned toads? Toadstools? What's with him and frogs?"

"He's a Herbologist," Tara said, rolling her eyes at Fiona. "And don't even get me started about how boring Herbology is. At least I've got someone!"

"Ginny, I bet you twenty Galleons she's got a new guy next week," Fiona said nonchalantly, sipping her coffee.

"Hey!" Tara exclaimed.

Fiona laughed and patted Tara's hand. "I was joking, you nut! And besides, we really shouldn't be talking about us here. Gin, I thought you're going out today?"

"Yeah," Tara said, staring at Ginny. "Where's that boyfriend of yours anyway? I thought he was going with you."

"David?" Ginny asked. "I'm staying here all day. We won't be seeing each other, I think."

Fiona dropped her newspaper and stared at Ginny. "Don't tell me you forgot!"

Ginny screwed up her eyes and tried to remember her schedule. It was Sunday. No work. And the meeting with Healer Brandon would be on Monday. She had nothing to do—or so she thought—

"Oh yes, she forgot." Fiona sighed, shaking her head.

"What? Is there supposed to be something—?"

"_Accio_ Ginny's towel!" Tara laughed and tossed her the summoned towel. "It's your niece's birthday party, right? Oh, Ron and Hermione are going to kill you!"

Ginny muttered a few choice words, and without another word, fled to the drain-clogged bathroom with towel in hand.

* * *

The Burrow was in its usual chaotic state that morning. The front lawn was empty except for a clutter of boots by the front steps and a dozen cloaks hanging by the door. Laughter from the backyard was disturbing the quiet country air. It could only mean one thing: All of the six Weasley brothers were there with their families, and it was because of Ron and Hermione's daughter Aya's first birthday.

Ginny Apparated and half ran toward the house, clutching the gift for her niece and goddaughter. From the looks of things, Hermione had really made sure that the party started at exactly eleven o' clock. It was now half-past twelve, and the noise coming from the back of the house meant that everybody was in the middle of things. _Hermione's going to skin me_, Ginny thought miserably as she opened the front door.

She was right. There was no one in the front room of the house. She entered the kitchen and saw her mother and her sister-in-law Penny working with the cake. She shrugged. _Here goes nothing_.

"Hey, Mum, Penny," she said casually, walking toward the kitchen's back door. "Everybody's outside, then? Where's my baby girl?"

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Hermione's been waiting for you for over an hour now! Where have you been? And where's David?"

"First, I got up late. And I was dead tired from work, Mum!" she added before her mother could start lecturing her about punctuality. "And about David, I have no idea."

"But I thought he promised Percy they'd talk about work," Penny said.

Ginny sighed. "Honestly, I don't know what to think now."

Yes, she was tired of everything. She didn't want to think of David and their relationship anymore. She had been seeing David Croft for two and a half years now, and their relationship wasn't much different as of the last two years. David's family owned the Wizarding Wireless Network and that meant that he was always too busy running the network to spend time with Ginny. She understood everything; but with her work in St. Mungo's stressing her further, she was not exactly happy anymore. At first, she had thought it was just because they were starting out, but it had been two years now and there was still no change. Three-quarters of their supposed dinners together were spent alone without a sign of David. She was tired of everything, but she loved him and David always knew how to say a proper apology. Yet she hated herself for accepting every single 'sorry' and not saying anything about how upset she was.

"And the woman of the hour has finally arrived," Ron Weasley, Ginny's brother, said, entering the kitchen. "Where have you been?"

Ginny stood on her tiptoes and kissed her brother on the cheek. "I'm so sorry. But I got up late and—" She sighed. "What the hell, I'm here so don't ask questions anymore."

Ron smirked as he led her to the backyard. "Hermione was having a fit earlier, you know. Kept muttering about how it's our daughter's first birthday and both of her godparents aren't here. Oh look, there she is now."

Ginny turned and saw her best friend and sister-in-law Hermione walking toward her briskly. "And you came!"

She smiled. "Of course, I came! Do you think I'd forget Aya's birthday?" Ginny kissed Hermione on both cheeks.

"Honestly, I'm starting to think that you _did_ forget," Hermione said, raising her eyebrows suspiciously.

"No, of course not," Ginny lied, smiling. "I just woke up late, that's all. Anyway, what's the big deal? I'm here now."

"You know, I was going to hex you and Harry if neither one of you showed up," said Hermione, leading Ginny toward the buffet table.

Ginny turned sharply to her sister-in-law. "Harry's coming?"

Harry had moved to New York three years ago because of his assignment with the International Auror Confederation and had never been back in London, missing Aya's birth and christening altogether. Hermione was furious at him for missing his goddaughter's christening, but they couldn't do anything since he was in the middle of an important operation—the downside of being an Auror, as Ron put it. Ginny hadn't heard from Harry since then except for the owls and parcels he sent to her for her birthday and the holidays.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh, how I wish! Harry owled us last week saying that he can't take a week, or even a day, off."

A silent sigh of relief escaped Ginny's lips. For what reason, she didn't know.

"And that's why I was going to hex the two of you if you didn't show up," Hermione said threateningly.

Ron chuckled and put his arms around his wife. "Hermione, darling, relax. You know Harry, he's letting himself get swamped with work. No wonder he's still a bachelor."

"How can you be so sure that he doesn't have a girlfriend in New York, Ron?" asked Ginny.

Ron looked at his sister and smirked. "Well, for one, he's a bloody coward."

"A coward?" Ginny frowned in an attempt to hide the blush she knew that was starting to creep into her cheeks. So what if he did—or didn't—have a girlfriend in New York? It didn't matter.

"Aunt Ginny!"

Ginny turned around and saw two little redheaded boys running toward her followed by a laughing Fred and George Weasley. "Oh, why, it's the amazing Jerry and Ken!" She knelt down and kissed her nephews on the cheeks. "What are you two up to now?"

Jerry, Bill's youngest son, pointed at the twins behind him. "Uncle Fred and Uncle George showed us new tricks, right Ken?" he said proudly before turning to his older brother, who nodded and nudged Jerry's elbow. The two exchanged identical mischievous smiles and ran as fast as they could toward Percy's twin daughters, Valerie and Vanessa.

Ginny laughed. There was no doubt about it, Bill's sons would definitely take the place of Fred and George as the Weasley Dynamic Duo—and they were getting all the help they needed from their uncles.

"I see that those little protégées of ours have divulged our little secret," Fred said, pulling Ginny forward for a peck on the cheek.

"And what exactly are you teaching those two angels, huh?" asked Ginny, turning to the smirking George.

"Oh, just a couple of new tricks from Weasleys Wizard Wheezes," answered George. "It's good to have new products to launch if you're opening up in Paris, you know."

The twins' joke shop had been continuously booming for the last seven years and they had opened stores in London, Hogsmeade, Wales, Scotland, and in other places on the continent. With that, _Witch Weekly_ had recently named the twins as London's most successful bachelors and entrepreneurs. And it was only now that Mrs. Weasley became proud of her sons for not finishing school and opening the joke shop.

"Just promise me you two won't blow up Aya's birthday cake," Hermione said, narrowing her eyes at the twins.

Fred turned to his brother and smirked. "Now, that's an idea!"

Hermione crossed her arms across her chest and stared at Fred and George menacingly. A suppressed laugh escaped Ginny's lips at the thought of the twins' wedding gift, which showered the whole Ministry ballroom with several…_interesting _things. Hermione had sent them death glares, while Ron had turned redder than his hair. Harry, Ginny, Fred, George, and Charlie, on the other hand, had burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter.

"Don't worry, sister, dear. We don't fancy an exploding cake much," George said before turning to his twin. "Right, Fred?"

Fred nodded, a smug smile playing on his lips. "But if it's Percy's, we might consider it a bit."

"Fred!" Ginny exclaimed at the same time that two identical cries echoed across the whole backyard.

"Jerry! Ken! I'll get you for this!" Valerie screamed as she and Vanessa ran after their guffawing cousins.

Hermione, Ginny, and her brothers all laughed at the four children as they ran around the Weasley backyard. Valerie and Vanessa waved their arms threateningly, while the boys' laughter was carried in the air.

Percy, however, was not amused. "Bill! Could you please control your sons and keep them from tormenting my daughters?"

Bill shook his head and tried to look innocent. "If there's someone you should tell off, it's not me, Perce. Remember, your twin brothers are here."

Percy shook his head, shrugged and went back to conversing with their father.

More or less the same scenario played out in the next hour as laughter and dozens of "oohhs" and "aahhhs" could be heard from the children in the Weasley backyard. As usual, Fred and George provided the day's entertainment with some new and famous tricks they had brought from their joke shop. Ginny had forgotten her earlier irritation and frustration because of David's absence, though it crept in once in a while when her family asked her why she wasn't with David—and that started to irk her even more.

"Ginny, could you help me bring the presents into the living room?" Hermione called, her arms full of brightly wrapped boxes. "Aya's going to start opening the gifts and I'd like everything to be proper in the living room."

Ginny smiled, thinking that some things really never change. "Was there anyone from the Auror office who came?" she asked as she grabbed a couple of boxes.

"Not many. Just a couple or so and they left rather quickly," Hermione said, arranging the boxes on the living room table. She turned to her and raised her eyebrows. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing." Ginny shrugged. "I was just surprised that it's just the family that's here."

"Ron wanted it to be family only, anyway," Hermione said, smiling. "If only Harry could come, don't you think so?"

Ginny swallowed. Hermione's look was making her turn red. _Get a grip, Weasley,_ she thought. _And so what if he comes?_ "I suppose he's busy."

Hermione waved her hand irritably in the air. "Ah, sometimes, I'm really tempted to wrap my hands around his neck and strangle him. He promised me last month when I talked to him through the Floo. And now look what he's done!"

"You talked to him?" Ginny asked suddenly, her head snapping towards Hermione.

Hermione simply smiled at her knowingly, causing Ginny to blush before bending down over the gifts again. "Yes, he Floos at least once a month. He's always asking about you, you know."

"Really?" Ginny asked suddenly.

Hermione nodded nonchalantly. "Asks us to give him a blow-by-blow of everything happening to you."

Ginny knew she was blushing profusely by now. _Stop it, he's just a friend, _she thought miserably, but the famous Weasley blush was creeping up again.

"But, of course, he asks for a blow-by-blow about everyone," Hermione said, smirking. "Something wrong, Ginny?"

Ginny closed her open mouth and ran her hand through her hair, composing herself. "Of course. I—I think I'll go to the kitchen to help Mum and Penny."

Hermione's smile widened and she nodded, obviously controlling the huge grin about to spread across her features. "Yes, you do that."

Ginny hurriedly went in the kitchen and helped Mrs. Weasley and Penny with the cake and the pudding before Hermione could ask more.

She cursed herself for acting like a love-struck teenager at the mere mention of Harry's name. She and Harry were over. Yes, he did come back to her after the war, but because of the same stupid, noble reason, they couldn't give their relationship a proper go. There was the understanding, the stolen glances and secret smiles but there was no proper name to call what was going on between them. Sometimes she had wished that he wasn't Harry Potter and that it wasn't his job to save the whole Wizarding world from Voldemort so he could be all hers. But she had understood him; being a noble git made him who he was, and she loved him more because of it.

There had come a time when Ginny had become so frustrated that she had asked Harry flat out what was going on between them. She remembered that day clearly. They were sitting under one of the lined gnarled trees at the Burrow's backyard the summer after seventh year.

Harry had turned to her, looked at her in the eye, and smiled before saying, "Isn't this so much better?"

Oh, how she hated those words! Even though she was already expecting it, she had still wanted to wring Harry's neck. The thick prat!

It was her impatience that ended it all. What she thought was a brilliant plan to make Harry jealous and finally put a foot in their relationship had backfired. She had thought that telling everyone that she was planning to go on vacation to France with another boy would do the trick, but her father had come home the following day with a note from Ron and Harry saying that they would be gone for six months as a part of their second year of Auror training and that they should be expecting no contact.

She knew it was her fault, but of course, she could not admit it even to herself. It was all she could think about, but Harry's deafening silence and their friendly correspondence over the last three years had been enough to tell her that it was history, that everything they had was just a wonderful memory. She'd had to forget these feelings, and thanks to David Croft, she knew that she had succeeded. But why was it that all of a sudden she was acting like this?

And thinking of David just annoyed Ginny even more. Where the hell was he?

"Ginny, you're squashing the pudding!"

"Wha—" Ginny snapped back to her senses. Penny grabbed the sabotaged pudding out of her hands.

"I said you're squashing the pudding!" Penny said, trying her best to fix the poor thing.

Ginny smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I'm just thinking of some things."

Penny shrugged. "I know. Look, David not coming is not supposed to make you this sullen, okay?"

Ginny frowned. "What does this have to do with David?"

"I know that look, Gin." She smiled and turned back to take the pudding outside.

Still confused, Ginny was about to follow Penny when she saw a figure carrying a huge package walking toward the Burrow. _Must be just one of Ron's Auror friends_, she thought, but there was something familiar about the man. What it was exactly, she couldn't discern. It was like she knew him well, but she couldn't connect the features to a name.

Ginny screwed up her eyes, but the sun's glare was making it difficult for her to see his face clearly. From what she could see, he was lanky, but the way he walked exuded a certain aura that would make girls like Tara sigh in awe.

"Mum, I think Ron has another visitor," she said, still looking at the man and trying to figure out that something familiar.

Mrs. Weasley looked out the window and turned back to Ginny, handing her the cake she was holding. "Take this outside, dear, I'll take care of it."

Ginny nodded, took the cake from her mother's hand, and went out of the kitchen. Maybe she had seen him and they had been introduced during one of those countless Ministry gatherings she had to attend as the daughter of the Minister of Magic. She sighed; yes, maybe that was it.

She went back out into the backyard and placed the cake on the table. "Anyone wants cake?" she asked aloud.

Five little heads in varying shades of red ran toward her, their hands raised. "Me, Aunt Ginny! I want cake!" all of them said at once.

"Okay, okay. Hold on." Ginny smiled as she took out her wand and tapped the knife, cutting the cake into several slices and sending them onto the platters. "There you go," she said as she handed each of her nieces and nephews a platter.

"Thank you, Aunt Ginny," Isabelle, Bill and Fleur's eldest child, said before heading toward her mum.

Ginny took a plate of cake and went toward Aya's playpen. "How about you, baby girl? Do you want cake?" She cut a small bit and fed it to the little girl. Aya jumped and clapped her hands; Ginny laughed. "Like it?"

"Ron, Hermione, dear, guess who came to visit?" Mrs. Weasley said from the kitchen door.

"Oh my God!" Ginny heard Hermione squeal in surprise. "Ron! Oh my God!"

Ginny turned around and saw Hermione throwing herself into the arms of the man she saw walking toward the house earlier. Though she couldn't see the man's face, Ginny was now absolutely certain that there was something _familiar_ about him—something eerily familiar.

"I miss you, too, Hermione," she heard the man say, chuckling. Her heartbeat raced; that voice—

Hermione released herself from his arms and swatted him lightly on the shoulders. "Oh, you should! You owe us big time!"

The man laughed heartily; he threw his head back, his eyes shining brightly with laugher. Hermione whacked him again playfully, unblocking Ginny's view of their newest visitor. The tall, handsome, dark-haired man standing in front of Hermione was none other than her best friend for fourteen years—Harry Potter.

Ginny's jaw dropped.

_**To be continued…**_

_A/N: Thanks to the Mean Girls and the two Taiwanese Muggle boys who made a cameo in this fic. And to our wonderful betas, JennaMae, KC, and Solveig, many, many thanks! You guys are the greatest!_


	2. Chapter 2: The Expected and the Unexpect...

**Chapter 2: The Expected and the Unexpected**

Tick…tick…tick…BUUUUZZZZZ!

"Rise and shine, London! And it's a beautiful Sunday morning, chaps! The coffee is boiling, the cauldron is simmering, and it's the WWN here ready to brighten up your sullen days! And in today's entertainment news, singing sorceress Celestina Warbeck shocked the whole Wizarding world when she announced her third engagement this morning in front of—"

Twenty-five-year-old Harry Potter reached toward his bedside table and turned the wireless off. Stretching luxuriously on his bed, he folded his arms behind his neck and leaned against the headboard, raising himself a few inches. Harry smiled before fully opening his eyes and putting his round, black glasses on the bridge of his nose. It was indeed a beautiful Sunday morning in London.

He could hear the twittering of flying seagulls outside on the Thames River. He could hear the honking of Muggle cars outside, and it lightened his heart. He really was in London, the London that would forever be his home.

Harry stood up and put on the shirt hanging from the back of a chair before padding out to the kitchen of his East End flat. The first time he laid eyes on the picture of the two-bedroom flat in a Muggle magazine back in New York, he knew he had to get it. After a number of calls, he finally got the flat and he'd moved in as soon as he arrived two days ago.

Harry grabbed a mug from his pantry, conjured some coffee in the coffee maker, poured himself some, and went back to his bedroom to get ready for the day. He reached out his hand and stroked his loyal owl, Hedwig, on her perch beside the balcony door. "Hullo, Hedwig. Had a fun night, girl?"

Hedwig hooted and closed her eyes, obviously enjoying the affection of her owner. Harry chuckled at his owl and picked up the letter that was sitting on the table beside the perch. He couldn't help but grin as he recognized the letter was from his best friends, Ron and Hermione Weasley, badgering him to come home for his goddaughter Aya's first birthday.

_Harry, mate—_

_I know you're busy and all, but before you come up with a reason not to come, hear me out first. As you know, it's Aya's first birthday on the eighth and 'Mione and I would really like you to be here. Please, mate, you have to be here. 'Mione's already badgering me about making you come and you know her. She's been really edgy these days for some reason and you really don't want to face her temper. If that doesn't make you budge then, please, have mercy on your best mate and come. My beautiful wife will literally strangle me if I can't make you come. But if you really can't make it, just do something about 'Mione. She's really not in the mood—_

_Harry, it's Hermione. You've read Ron's note, right? I will really fly to New York and hex you into oblivion if you can't make it! And yes, my husband won't come away unscathed either, of course. Besides, you promised me last month and I won't accept any other excuse! Please, Harry. Do it for me. You weren't here during her birth and christening, so could you please be a good godfather and fly here for your goddaughter's birthday? Ginny's coming too, you know. Love, Hermione_

_There you have it, mate. I told you she's gone mad because of this silly birthday celebration. If you ask me, I'd just take the kid to the park and give her a present instead of throwing a party. But you know Hermione. What she wants is what she gets. And you know that I love her so I couldn't say no._

_And yes, Ginny will be here if it helps to convince you to come. I promise that, if it will make you happy, I'll send that boyfriend of hers to Azkaban. Please, mate. And besides, we miss you. 'Mione, me, and Aya (though I'm not too sure my daughter knows you). The whole family—from Mum and Dad to the twins to Percy, Bill and Charlie, and of course, Ginny—misses you so much. Yes, mate, she misses you; she just wouldn't say it out loud. _

_I hope I have blabbed enough reasons to convince you. I really hope you can make it. If not for Hermione, then do it for me. You really don't want to see me in a casket when Hermione's done with me. _

_Hope to hear from you soon._

_Ron_

Harry laughed and took the mug of coffee before stepping out onto the balcony to face the Thames. He remembered the day he owled his best friends to tell them he couldn't come. Ron had been telling the truth about Hermione getting mad. She sent him a Howler, screaming about friendship and swearing she'd never speak to him again. But things had turned around when unfortunate circumstances occurred in the International Auror Confederation head office, causing him to be transferred back to London. Instead of feeling worse, he supposed it was just a blessing in disguise. He had missed a lot of events, from Aya's birth and christening to Arthur Weasley's appointment as the new Minister of Magic. He just hoped that he could make up for the lost time.

Harry walked toward his shower door and glanced at a few chosen words in Ron's letter that was lying on the table. _Yes, mate, she misses you; she just wouldn't say it out loud…_The words kept rolling back like a broken record in his mind, nagging and nagging him.

The warm water cascaded over his body as he closed his eyes, reveling on the warmth of the spray. Harry's thoughts drifted to the only woman who made his heart race, Ginny Weasley. He had loved her for years and kept everything inside his heart.

He didn't know how he had managed to keep the beast from awakening for three long years. Before he defeated Voldemort, he knew he was doing this to be with Ginny. But right after the final battle, he suddenly had doubts if he could still be worthy of Ginny. He was and would always be a marked man, the murderer of eleven Death Eaters in one night. He knew Ginny wouldn't be repulsed by the idea, but something big and ugly had kept him from loving her openly. He knew he had hurt her; he could see it in her eyes after she had asked him what was really going on between them. He wanted to grab her, kiss her, and tell her that she had always been the one, but this ugly fear had sprang up that made him say the words that made him regret a week later.

"_Isn't this so much better?"_

He knew he had acted harshly when he had told Mr. Weasley that he was expecting no contact from anyone when he and Ron left for their second year of Auror training. He knew he could have just told Ginny that he didn't want her to go with another bloke, but he wasn't thinking straight. He thought that maybe it was for the best.

He was crushed when she seemed to have moved on and got involved with David Croft months after he left. At that moment, he knew that leaving without doing something about his true feelings for Ginny had been the biggest mistake of his life. He had been young and afraid, but now he was ready to do everything to win her back and make her his forever.

He stepped out of the shower, shook his head dry, and got into a pair of black trousers and a polo shirt before throwing on his robes. Grinning, he grabbed the package he'd chosen for his goddaughter and started to the door of his bedroom. Before leaving, he glanced at the picture of the Weasley family on his bedside table; Ginny was waving energetically, but still beautifully, in the middle of the crowd of redheads.

Harry's smile faltered. He had loved her for too long; he wouldn't let this one chance slip away.

And with a loud _crack_, he Apparated to the Burrow.

* * *

_You are losing a serious battle there, Potter, _Harry thought miserably as he tried to flatten his hair for the millionth time.

Harry surveyed the scene before him. The Burrow wasn't much different from what he remembered. The house that had opened its arms to him thirteen years ago hadn't changed even though Arthur Weasley was the new Minister of Magic. It was still a place of joyful chaos, chaos that only the Weasley family could bring. This clutter was good to see, unlike the clutter he was used to seeing back in America. It was full of laughter, full of family life, unlike the boring, angry mess in the office. Warmth and love were still emanating from its many topsy-turvy parts and Harry couldn't help but grin. He was really home.

He nervously fixed his unruly hair again, even if he knew it was useless. The round glasses were back in his flat and he was wearing the contact lenses he was made to wear during some raids. He knew it would be a surprise to the family seeing him without his trademark glasses, but he hoped it would be a good surprise to all of those redheads, especially a particular female redhead.

Harry let himself inside the house and he could hear the laughing going on in the backyard. He moved to the living room and found himself face to face with none other than Molly Weasley.

"Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her hand flying to cover her mouth.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley." He smiled sheepishly.

Mrs. Weasley squealed and ran toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh Harry! This is so good! It's so nice to see you again! Ron and Hermione will be so happy you're here! When did you return? How was your trip?"

Harry smiled widely. "Just two days ago. I didn't owl Ron so I could surprise them. I'm really sorry if I caused any trouble with Hermione, Mrs. Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley waved her hand and led him to the kitchen. "Oh you! There's nothing to apologize about! As if you don't know Hermione, Harry. And call me Molly. You're an adult and you have the right now to call me by my first name, though I wouldn't say no to Mum, of course."

"Okay, Molly," Harry said, chuckling.

"Come here, and I'll call Ron and Hermione," she said smiling affectionately. "And you'd better have something to eat now. American food doesn't suit you, you poor thing."

Harry couldn't help but laugh as he followed Mrs. Weasley outside. Some things really never change. She opened the kitchen door to reveal a whole backyard filled with redheads of all ages. He could see all of the Weasley brothers and their wives, and a number of children he assumed were Bill's and Percy's kids. Harry smiled at the sight.

"Ron, Hermione, dear, guess who came to visit?" Mrs. Weasley called to what he could see were his two best friends.

Hermione turned around first, and Harry laughed. Her jaw literally dropped before she laughed and ran towards him.

"Oh my God!" Hermione squealed as she reached him. "Ron! Oh my God!"

Hermione threw her arms around his neck and almost squeezed the air out of his lungs. "Oh my God, I missed you, you git!"

"I missed you, too, Hermione." He chuckled, letting go of her.

Hermione released herself from his arms and swatted him lightly on the shoulders. "Oh, you should! You owe us big time!"

"Yeah, I know," he said, smiling. "And I'm here, so there's no need to hex me and Ron, eh?"

"Yes, of course. Yes," she said, joining his laughter.

"You great prat!" Ron said as he suddenly materialized in front of Harry, giving him a bone-crushing hug. "I thought you weren't coming!"

"Couldn't let Hermione kill my best mate, could I?" he said, laughing.

Ron looked at him from head to toe in a mock menacing way. "Bloody hell, you shouldn't!"

"Hey, I did owe you big time, right?"

"Too right, Potter!" he said before laughing again and giving him another brotherly embrace. "It's good to see you, mate."

"You, too," he said, grinning and releasing Ron slightly. "So, where's my beautiful goddaughter?"

Hermione grinned. "She's with her Auntie Ginny. She's feeding Aya some of her birthday cake."

Harry felt a sudden huge lump jump to his throat. Ginny was here, and the mere mention of her name gave him the goose pimples. "Ginny's here?"

"Of course she'd be here!" Ron smirked. "She's just probably somewhere—Ah! There she is!"

Harry followed Ron's direction and saw a brilliant flash of red not a few yards away from him. He knew that particular shade of red and the face it was framing. She looked the same; in fact, she looked more beautiful to him, even if her brilliant brown eyes were widened with shock and her perfect little mouth was hanging wide open. He gave her a small smile, and gathering up his courage, he took a step forward toward her.

"Harry, you prat!"

Harry staggered a bit as a very large hand swatted him rather painfully on the shoulder. He turned around to see the smiling faces of the remaining Weasley bachelors, Charlie, Fred, and George. "Hey, you guys!"

The three brothers each gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Glad you could fit the famous Weasleys into your busy schedule, Mr. Potter!" Charlie teased, grinning widely.

"I'm just on leave." Harry laughed. "And besides, I owe my goddaughter three separate occasions, you know."

George laughed. "So, how's New York?"

"Hmmm," Harry said in mock thoughtfulness. "Hot as hell. May isn't really the perfect time for rose picking there."

"What about the women?" Fred asked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. "Anyone you could introduce to your dear old friends?"

"I really don't know a lot of women from America," he said, chuckling. "But I could introduce you to some of our clients there if you like."

"Ah, that's my boy!" Fred said, patting him on the back. "Any blonde American dogging your heels now?"

Harry shook his head. "Oh, there's no one, Fred. Listen, is Ginny busy?"

Charlie smiled and put his hands inside the pockets of his trousers. "Why do you ask?"

"Er…I just would like to see her, that's all," Harry said, blushing.

"Tsk, tsk, Harry," Fred said, smirking. "You've only just arrived and this is what you do?"

"I-I-I didn't mean—"

Fred, George, and Charlie burst out laughing. Harry stood stock-still, unable to utter a single word.

Charlie patted him on the shoulder. "We're just joking, Harry! Listen, there's my sister by Aya's playpen. Go talk to her."

Still confused, Harry left the three guffawing Weasleys and proceeded on his quest. There were a lot of Weasleys around waving and smiling at him, and being the well-mannered person that he was, he couldn't help but look and wave a greeting back to Bill and Fleur, and Percy and his kids when they called his name. When he turned his eyes back in the direction of the playpen, Ginny was gone.

"Ah, there you are, son."

Harry sighed and turned around to face the next interrupting Weasley. "Mr. Weasley!"

"Ah, call me Arthur," he said, shaking Harry's hand. "You're family, anyway. So, when did you come back?"

Harry blushed, feeling guilty for thinking of Mr. Weasley as an interruption. "Just two days ago, sir."

"Randall was just asking me about taking you back to the British Force," Mr. Weasley said, smiling fondly at him. "Told me we will continue to be idiots if we let one of our best English Aurors serve a foreign land. I'm expecting Randall will owl you about it."

"Okay, Mr. Weasley," he said, nodding. "But I'm just on leave. I have to think about it first."

Mr. Weasley laughed, putting his arm on his shoulder and leading him to the buffet table. "Ah, of course. I wouldn't want to badger you with work when you're still with us. The family really missed you, son. We're really hoping you can stay here with us."

"I am, too, sir." He smiled, taking a sip from a glass of pumpkin juice. "Er, is it okay if I leave you while I talk to Ginny?"

Mr. Weasley laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Ah, yes! I think I saw my daughter preparing some tea in the kitchen. Go ahead and talk to her."

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley." He grinned and shook Mr. Weasley's hand again.

"It's Arthur, son," the older man said, smiling at him.

"Ah, yes, Arthur!" he said, half-running towards the kitchen and looking back at him. "Thanks again!"

Harry slowed down a bit when he reached the clutter of boots by the kitchen door. He swallowed hard and fixed the lapel of his robes. _You're just going to talk to her, it's not like you're proposing, _he scolded himself. Harry sighed. Goodness, he was nervous as hell. Really, nothing could go wrong, right?

* * *

_Get a grip on yourself, _Ginny mentally scolded herself as she poured tea into her mug. _You're acting like a teenager again!_

True, she had been acting like her lovesick schoolgirl self ever since Harry's unexpected arrival that afternoon. And that little smile he gave her had been enough to make Ginny swallow the massive lump in her throat and make her insides leap a mile—something similar to what had happened thirteen years ago when she first saw him here at the Burrow. At least this time, she hadn't squealed and run away like she did before.

But she had still acted like the eleven-year-old girl who'd had a huge crush on The Boy Who Lived. She had almost dropped the cake she was holding when Harry took a step in her direction, but unfortunately—or rather fortunately—her brothers had stood in the way. With every step he had made, there had always been at least one Weasley who would wave and talk to him. And she had used that as an opportunity to seek refuge inside the house on the pretext of preparing some tea. Why she had acted like that, she really didn't know. Her heart had thumped so hard when she saw him approaching. Merlin, he was just probably going to say hi. The last few years of dealing with Harry Potter should have already told her not to keep her hopes up.

She secretly watched him from afar, hiding behind the kitchen door while he talked to her brothers. She couldn't help but notice that Harry had grown more handsome in the last three years. His job at the International Auror Confederation in New York surely suited him. Though he was still relatively lanky, his shoulders and arms had grown broader, giving him a seemingly leaner and stronger built. His glasses were gone, too; he was now wearing contact lenses, she assumed. Now, even from afar, Ginny could see the rich greenness of his eyes—the greenness into which she could always drown herself.

Ginny took a deep breath and leaned against the kitchen counter. His mere presence was enough to give her mixed emotions. She was happy to see an old friend again, yes; but she was afraid that something hidden and forgotten might resurface once again.

She cursed herself for thinking such things. _You've got a boyfriend if you're starting to forget_.

_A boyfriend, all right, _another voice in her mind said._ A boyfriend who's not always there for you!_

She closed her eyes, trying to make those voices in her head stop. _You're losing it. You're definitely losing it_.

"Hey, Ginny."

Ginny's eyes snapped open. She saw Harry standing at the kitchen door smiling at her.

She felt a warm gush of blood slowly creeping up her cheeks. "Oh, h-hi, Harry," she squeaked. She forced her muscles to smile and hide her stammering. _Snap out of it, Ginny! What's the matter with you? It's just Harry!_

She couldn't determine if Harry didn't notice her sudden uneasiness or if he simply ignored it because he was still wearing an odd smile on his slightly pinkish face as he walked toward her.

Harry's eyes met hers for a moment and she could feel an electric jolt running through her spine. His smile widened and that sent more shivers through her body. She smiled back and looked down at the cup of tea in her hands, cursing herself for having these stupid reactions.

"Want some tea?" she asked, looking up at him but trying to avoid his eyes.

Harry nodded. "Sure. Tea sounds great."

Relieved at the opportunity not to look at him, Ginny turned around and took a mug from the pantry.

"So, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm good." She smiled as she handed him his cup of tea. "How are you?"

"Great. Never better, actually." He took a sip from his cup and turned to her. "You know, I was watching you from afar. You're more beautiful than I remembered."

Ginny raised her eyebrows and chuckled. "Don't flatter me, Potter!"

Harry grinned. "You're not supposed to say that. Your answer should be 'You're looking good, too, Harry'," he said, winking at her.

Now, Ginny couldn't contain her laughter. "Harry! Since when did you learn how to flirt?"

"I know, I know. I simply suck at these things."

"No, that's not what I meant," she said between laughs. "It's just that—" But Ginny wasn't able to finish her sentence because a new wave of laughter escaped her lips.

Harry's lips turned into a mock pout. "Okay, laugh at me. I know I looked like an utter fool!"

Ginny, still laughing, turned to him and held onto his shoulders to steady herself. "No, you're not! I just can't picture you using these pick-up lines and hitting on girls."

Harry looked down, blushing slightly.

"So, did any girls fall for your newfound smoothness?" she joked.

Smiling, Harry shook his head. "No, not really."

Ginny turned to him sharply, surprised by what she had just heard. "What do you mean by 'not really'?"

"Well, I only went out a couple of times but it was nothing serious."

Ginny nudged him playfully. "You must have really sucked then."

"Possibly!" Harry turned to her and smiled. "Actually, I hadn't used that there."

"American girls don't catch your fancy, I suppose?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. That's why I never had a serious relationship there."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've only seen one girl since I moved there and it's just because of one of my colleagues," he said, a sudden shyness and seriousness in his voice. "He insisted that I should take her out and he didn't stop until I did. But it was nothing serious and I stopped seeing her after a couple of times."

Ginny's eyebrows knotted. "Why so?"

"I think I left my heart back home."

Ginny's heart started beating unexplainably faster again.

Harry turned to her and looked at her in the eye. "I left my heart in London."

There was something in his eyes that she hadn't seen for so long. She knew that look; that was the same look he gave her when he kissed her in front of the whole of Gryffindor house in her fifth year, during those lunch hours and late afternoons they spent together by the lake, and that day when he came back after Voldemort's defeat and scooped her in his arms.

Ginny's heart was throbbing like mad as she probed his eyes. She felt him inch closer; he still hadn't taken his eyes off her.

"Hi, Honey! Sorry I'm late."

Ginny turned around sharply and saw her boyfriend, David Croft, standing by the kitchen door.

_**To be continued….**_

_A/N: We'd like to express our deepest gratitude to the god who goes by the name of Rodrigo Santoro (also known as the Hunk Who Lived) for being our grown-up Harry Potter and for giving us the inspiration and the "divine intervention" we need for writing this fic. Again, obrigada a Jenna Mae, KC, e Solveig para o beta._


	3. Chapter 3: Facing Reality

**Chapter 3: Facing Reality**

"David!" Ginny exclaimed, her eyes round with surprise.

Harry followed the direction of the voice and saw a man walking toward them and flashing Ginny a big smile. He was dressed in sophisticated robes that would even make Draco Malfoy's robes look worn out. He walked in a kind of air that Harry didn't like.

David put his arms around Ginny and kissed her. Harry felt his stomach turn upside-down. He took a sip from the cup he was holding to distract himself from the sight in front of him and to prevent the old monster in his chest from reawakening with anger.

"I thought you weren't coming?" Ginny asked in a tone he couldn't pinpoint. It was a mix of surprised and irritated. "I thought you were out of town."

David smiled and brushed a few strands of hair from Ginny's face. "The meeting with Craufeldale ended early so I decided to drop by here. I missed you."

Harry swallowed the massive lump that began to block the air from his lungs and he could feel something stirring angrily inside his chest. He cleared his throat louder than he had intended to. David turned around and eyed Harry and then Ginny in a rather suspicious way, as though he had just noticed Harry and didn't know that he had been standing there right from the start.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you to each other," Ginny said, tearing herself away from David's arms. "Harry, this is David Croft. David, this is Harry. Harry Potter."

In a split second, David's slight scowl turned into a huge smile as he extended his hand to Harry. "Oh! Great to finally meet you, Mr. Potter."

Harry forced himself to smile and shook David's hand. "It's Harry. I don't fancy being called Mr. Potter too much."

"Ever so polite, eh?" David chirped. "You should be used to all the formality by now since you're one of today's most esteemed Aurors, being the one who defeated You-Know-Who and all." He dropped Harry's hand and turned to Ginny with a slight look of wonder in his face. "Why didn't you tell me you know Harry Potter?"

Ginny's brows furrowed as she glanced slightly at Harry. "I told you, he was Ron and Hermione's best friend at Hogwarts. He's been like family for years."

"Really?" David said, shrugging his shoulders and turning back to Harry. "Well, anyway, what are you doing here, Harry? Aren't you working for the IAC in New York?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm just on leave."

"Oh, that's great. Maybe I could arrange an interview with you one of these days for the WWN before you go back to New York," David said enthusiastically. "I'm sure everyone would like to know what's going on with the great Harry Potter these days."

Harry smiled modestly but shook his head. "Oh, no. There's no need, really."

"But I insist. I could easily arrange it anytime you want. They didn't make me the network's president for nothing," David bragged, adjusting the lapel of his robes.

Harry saw Ginny cringe and give David dark looks. She noticed that Harry was looking at her and gave him a small smile as though apologizing to him for what David had said. Harry smiled back, shrugging.

"So, Harry," David continued. "How was New York? I heard you've been one of the most prized Aurors of the IAC."

"Oh, no. No, that's not quite true." Harry said, shaking his head.

David gave an amused laugh. "Modest, aren't we? But seriously, how was working with the IAC? I've always wanted to be an Auror but my dad gave me the WWN right after I left Hogwarts, so I was left with no choice but to manage the family business. I mean, there's no need to work for anybody if I can be the boss, right?"

Harry smiled, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. If this bloke were to talk to Percy, Harry wasn't sure if he could refrain himself from choking. He made a sideways glance at Ginny; she was slightly shaking her head in embarrassment. He couldn't help but wonder what Ginny saw in David that made her get involved with him for this long. With only a minute of talking to him, Harry was sure that David would only get along well with Percy and not with the other Weasleys—and Ginny was _nothing_ like Percy. Not that he didn't like Percy, of course.

"Perhaps you could show us around New York when Ginny and I take our vacation there," David went on, dropping his arms casually, but possessively, around Ginny's shoulders. "It's great to have a tour guide of some sort."

"Right," Harry said, forcing himself to smile in spite of the sudden tightening of his chest. He saw Ginny look down and to hide her frown.

After a few seconds, Ginny looked up, smiling faintly at Harry before turning to David. "David, why don't you say hi to Ron and Hermione first and get something to eat?"

David beamed. "Yeah, right. I have to give Aya her birthday present, too. It was nice meeting you, Harry," he said, extending his hand again.

"Pleasure."

"I'll see you around." David waved before turning around and walking out of the kitchen with Ginny.

Fighting the urge to smash the teacup he was holding, Harry watched them as David opened the kitchen door for Ginny before closing it behind them and shut him from their world.

* * *

The moon had begun to show when the remainder of the party vanished from their eyes. Hermione and Ginny were washing the dishes in the kitchen as the remaining Weasleys enjoyed a cup of tea with Harry in the living room. 

All attention was drawn toward Harry, and for the first time in his life, he didn't wish he could disappear right on the spot. He'd missed everyone, even Percy and his endless inquiries about the American Ministry, and he was glad to be able to catch up with everything he had missed. But it was already getting late and most of the children were falling asleep on the couch.

Bill's family left first when Fleur noticed Jerry eyeing the remaining Filibuster Fireworks by the kitchen door. It was not exactly a wise idea to stay when the two boys had already set fire on Mrs. Weasley's begonias just before the sun set.

Percy and Penny decided to leave next when they noticed Phillip's head rolling on the side of the couch sleepily. The couple didn't fancy taking rounds through the Floo just to get their children home.

Just as the remains of the emerald-green fire vanished from the fireplace, Charlie announced he needed to go back to Hogwarts, where he was teaching Care of Magical Creatures. Fred and George, seeing that there were no brothers left to torture, decided to go back to their Diagon Alley flat, too.

Just then, Ginny and Hermione appeared in the living room. "You guys are leaving?"

"Yes, I still have papers to grade back at the school," Charlie said, embracing Ginny and Hermione. "I'll just see you girls, all right?"

"Okay, but don't splinch yourself," Ginny said, folding the creases of her brother's cloak.

"Yeah, you too." Charlie laughed and, after saying last goodbyes to the others, Disapparated.

"Ginny, dear, where's David?" Mr. Weasley asked suddenly.

Ginny frowned and heaved a huge sigh. "He just left. Told me he still has to Floo his father or something."

"You mean that idiot of a boyfriend you've got just left without saying goodbye to us?" George asked indignantly.

"He meant to say goodbye, but—"

Fred rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Gin. Next time I see him, I'm really going to teach him some manners."

"Fred Weasley, one more word about your sister's boyfriend and you're going to wish you'd never learned how to talk!" Mrs. Weasley said.

"All right, all right," Fred said. "But honestly, Gin, you deserve better."

"Fred!"

"Fine!" he said and kissed his mother and sister goodbye. "Bye, everyone."

George shrugged. "I'd better go, too. 'Night everyone. And Ginny? No matter how daft Fred is, he really does have a point."

"Why you—" Mrs. Weasley swelled like a bullfrog, but before she could say something, George Disapparated. "Honestly, those two! Ginny, dear, don't mind your brothers, all right?"

Ginny shrugged and walked toward her father to kiss him goodbye. "They really have a point, Mum. Anyway, I really should go now."

"What? You're not coming to Fowlgrove for tea?" Ron asked. "Oh, come on, Gin!"

"I can't. I still have to wake up early tomorrow," she said, kissing Mrs. Weasley and Hermione. "I've got hospital duty."

Before Harry could stop himself, he blurted out, "Couldn't you at least stay for an hour? Or half an hour?"

"As much as I want to, I really can't, Harry," Ginny said, smiling a little as she put on her cloak.

Harry tried to keep his face neutral, void of any expression that might tell her how disappointed he was. He cursed himself for letting himself get dragged into every single conversation with the rest of the family. Sure, he loved talking to them all but it also kept him from having one decent conversation with Ginny. And when he finally got the chance, they were rudely interrupted by no less than David. "Oh, all right. Maybe next time then?"

"Of course, Harry," she said, smiling before turning to her brother for one last goodbye.

"Harry's right, you know," Ron said, stooping down to hug Ginny. "Half an hour is all we're asking."

Ginny laughed. "Ron, I can't. What's with you anyway? You're going to see me soon and you know that!"

Ron looked like he was about to protest, but in the end, raised his arms in defeat. "Fine! Harry, walk her home."

"What?" Harry asked incredulously, fighting the coloring of his cheeks. Then, realizing what the tone of his voice might mean to Ginny, he quickly backtracked. "It's not what I mean—it's just—"

Ginny laughed. "It's okay, Harry. Ron's just being the prat that he is and is finding an excuse to throw you out of the house early."

"Hey! That's not what I meant!"

"I really should go now," Ginny said, smirking at her brother. She turned to Harry and shyly looked up at him. "It's really nice seeing you again, Harry."

And to Harry's surprise and sheer delight, she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a hug before quickly averting her eyes. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed her cheekbones flushing a light pink, something he'd missed seeing. "Bye, Harry."

"Yeah," Harry said, stupidly staring at her face. "Bye, Gin."

"I'll Apparate at the edge of the village," she said, stepping out of the front porch. "I'm going to have a bit of walk in the woods."

Harry was still speechless at Ginny's unexpected hug and was shaken out of his reverie when Ron's large hand hit him on the back. "Follow her and talk to her. Now!"

"But—Ron please, it's not that easy," he muttered.

"Now! And don't Apparate to Fowlgrove if you haven't started a decent conversation with her. Go!" Ron hissed dangerously, pushing him out of the house.

Harry stood stock still on the front porch, watching the door slam in his face. He turned around and saw Ginny walking towards the woods. His stomach made an almighty lurch. If Hermione didn't manage to kill Ron, then Harry vowed that he would finish the job for her.

_It's now or never, _he thought nervously as he tried hard to flatten his hair. Harry ran towards her and caught her up in seconds. "Gin, wait!"

"Harry!" she squeaked, looking back at him. "You don't have to do this because Ron made you, all right? He's just being his overprotective-brother self."

"I didn't come here just because of Ron," he said as he walked alongside her.

Ginny raised her eyebrows at him. "Oh, really? Then you'd be here because…?"

"Nothing much," he said, looking straight at the path. "I'd just wanted to walk with you. We didn't have a decent conversation back at the party."

She laughed. "Well, that won't happen with my family cornering you every single moment. They missed you a lot."

"Yeah, and I'm glad they did. I missed them a lot, too." He then walked ahead of her, turned around, and continued walking backwards. He was still a nervous wreck, but he knew that stuttering like an idiot wouldn't get him anywhere. _Might as well talk to her like nothing's wrong._ "And what about you?"

"What about me?" she asked.

"Did you miss me?" he asked with a goofy grin on his face.

Ginny bit her lip and said thoughtfully, "You? Hmm…let me think about that…you were gone for three years…let's see…hmmm…No."

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief, his heart aching. "You didn't?"

"Nope. Not for a single second," Ginny said nonchalantly, shaking her head.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Harry was staring at her face and it was completely void of traces of Weasley mischief. He could feel his brain spinning out of hurt and he wasn't ready for the tree root behind him. He fell over and landed on his bum. "Ouch!"

Ginny suddenly began laughing—that lively laugh of hers. She was laughing so hard that she had to stop to grab a tree trunk for support.

Harry was speechless and looked right up at her. "And now she thinks it's funny. Ha ha."

"Oh God, Harry! The look on your face! It was priceless!" she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You didn't actually believe what I said, right?"

"But—but—your face—"

"I have the best poker face in my family, didn't you remember?" She then grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "Now get up there, you idiot. I honestly don't know why they call you Britain's premier Auror."

"Very funny, Weasley," he pouted, dusting the dirt from his bum. "And I'm an idiot now."

"Well, you are!" Ginny said, continuing to tease him. "You're best mates with Ron, git-extraordinaire, so that makes you one!"

"Ha ha," he said, avoiding her eyes. "And she's still making fun of it, even if she hurt my feelings."

"Oh, come on Harry!" She laughed. "I was just joking! Of course I missed you!"

"Really?" he said, his head snapping sideways to look at her.

"It's hard not to miss you, you know," she whispered, smiling a little. "You always made my day."

"You always made my day, too."

Ginny looked up at him with a weird expression that he was sure matched his. Even in the dark woods, her brown eyes were still the most beautiful things he'd ever seen in his life. Even in the dark, her face glowed. She glowed. To him she was ethereal-looking, like a wood nymph in the dark.

They continued walking without speaking a word; the crunching of the fallen twigs under their feet was the only sound that was disturbing the silence. Harry could see the end of the woods, and he knew Ginny would say goodbye when they reach that spot. Racking his brains for something worthwhile to talk about, he suddenly blurted, "So, David."

"Yeah, David," Ginny said, following his train of thought. "We've been dating for almost three years."

"Three years? Wow," Harry said, keeping his voice from sounding bitter. "That is a long time."

"Yeah, I know," she said gloomily. "But it still feels like three months."

"Three months?"

"You know, like we're still getting to know each other," she said, her head bowed low looking at her feet kicking the ground. "Like we're still strangers to each other. Well, maybe except me. I already know him."

"And him?" he asked, looking down at her.

Ginny looked up and smiled. "Yeah, I think he does. I mean he knows when I'm mad."

Harry let out a hollow laugh. "Now that's happy."

She looked up at him sharply. "We've been together three years, and if that isn't proof that I'm happy, I dunno what is."

Harry cursed himself for saying that. "Gin, that's not what I meant."

To his relief, she gave him a small smile. "I know. I'm just being paranoid, I think. I mean I hear that all the time from my flatmates."

"What do you mean?"

Ginny shook her head and gave a small laugh. "Nothing. I'm just being my talkative self. You know, blurting out random things. Well, you know me! Talk, talk, talk!"

Harry faced her as they reached the end of the path. "Hey, you can tell me anything."

"Right." Ginny nodded, avoiding his gaze. "Well, this is my stop now. Thanks for walking with me."

Harry frowned. He was sure he had hit something and he wanted to know what it was. But no matter how much he wanted to know, he stopped himself from intruding. "Uh, are you sure you don't want me to walk you back to your flat?"

"Oh, it's all right, Harry," she said, smiling brightly again. "I can manage from here. And besides, Ron might strangle me for keeping you up."

_You have no idea, _Harry thought. "Well, if you're sure," he said instead. "Er...is it all right if I visit you at your flat or at work?"

For a second, Harry thought she blushed. "Oh! Of course, of course! I really have to run. I'll see you then, okay?"

"Yeah, of course," he said, smiling back at her. "It's great to see you again, Gin."

"You, too, Harry," she whispered, looking at his eyes. "'Bye."

And without another word, she Disapparated, leaving a very confused Harry.

* * *

"That was very subtle, Ron," Harry shot at Ron the moment he appeared at Hermione's surgically clean kitchen. 

"What was subtle?" Ron smirked, grabbing two glasses and a bottle of Ogden's Firewhisky and walked to the living room.

Harry followed irritably. "Well, pushing me to Ginny like that was very subtle, you genius!"

"Well, I am the Master of Subtlety, eh?" Ron joked, pouring Firewhisky into his glass.

"Master of Subtlety, my foot!"

Ron laughed and handed him a glass. "Lower your rather dulcet tones, mate. Hermione's going to have a fit if you wake Aya. And besides, don't tell me you didn't like it!"

"I did." He shrugged before downing the glass. "Well, except for the part when she avoided talking about David and Disapparated so suddenly."

"She just doesn't want anyone knowing her personal life," he said. "You know my sister."

"She called me an idiot, you know," Harry said, shaking his head as he poured more firewhisky into his glass. "Maybe I really am for being friends with you for fourteen years."

Ron laughed. "Now that hurts, mate. Anyway, what's the deal with you coming back so early? It's not like you to leave work just like that."

Harry shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "It's a long story. I'd rather talk about it with Hermione here."

"Is it really that serious?"

"I guess. They kicked me out of IAC, right?"

"They kicked you out?"

Harry and Ron turned around and saw Hermione striding toward them. "What happened? What did you do now?" she asked, before sitting down beside Ron.

"You know Bryant? The IAC Chief? Well, let's just say that there were some things that we didn't seem to agree upon."

"Ah, of course. Bryant is the current topic in the Ministry." Ron nodded. "Everyone at the Auror office is talking about his so-called involvement with American Death Eaters."

"Death Eaters?" Hermione asked anxiously. "Wait, Voldemort's gone now. The wizarding world is free of Dark magic since Harry defeated him seven years ago. Are you telling me that the Ministry's hiding something?"

"Not really," Ron explained. "These are just rumors circulating in the American and British Ministries. No one's sure if everything is true."

"But they are true," Harry said. "It's been common knowledge in the American Ministry that Bryant's congregating with Death Eaters. We've started to gather a group of Aurors who believe that Bryant isn't as innocent as he insists himself to be and we have our evidence back in New York. It's only a matter of time before we can hand Bryant to the Ministry red-handed."

"So, this is why they sent you back?" Hermione shrieked. "Harry! What the hell is the matter with you? You could have got yourself into trouble!"

"Sweetheart, I think he already did."

"That's not what I mean, Ron!" she snapped back. "Harry could be charged with mutiny after what he did! It's a very serious case, Harry, and you, as an Auror, should know about that!"

"I know, Hermione," Harry said patiently. "That's why I've told the rest not to start any type of mutiny that may jeopardize everybody's careers. We've decided to take it directly to the American Wizengamot for a fair trial instead of starting something everybody will regret. But before we could even start collecting the evidence, Bryant fired me and sent me back here.

"Somebody must've tipped him. But if he thinks he's got rid of me, he should think again. I'm not giving up until I've brought his case to the Wizengamot."

"Harry, you're treading dangerous waters, you know," Ron said, his eyebrows knotted together. "But if you ever need the British force for this, you can count us in. Kingsley has been asking me about that for ages. And, of course, Dad will never leave you to deal with this on your own. The whole British Ministry's behind you, I can assure you that. But before anything else happens, I want you to be careful. I really don't fancy flying to America just to visit you in a cell instead of taking a long vacation with my wife."

"Don't worry, Ron. I wouldn't let that happen." Harry smiled. "And thanks a lot."

Hermione crossed her arms. "I know you meant well, Harry. But with you jobless, what are your plans now? You can't just stay here in London without doing something."

"Arthur mentioned something about Randall O'Neil adding me to the British force," he said. "I think I'd give it a shot."

Ron made a hollow laugh. "You just don't know how O'Neil was always cursing the Americans for getting you ahead of us. It's becoming annoying, really. No offense meant to you of course, Harry."

"Anyway, let's stop with this serious Auror talk," Hermione interrupted. "So, what's up with Ginny now?"

Harry sighed. "Ginny? I honestly don't know."

"Nothing's changed about your feelings for her right?" she asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Not for a second," he answered firmly.

"Harry, it's one of the realities you have to face now," Hermione said in a manner that resembled Molly Weasley. "You're turning twenty-five and you're not getting any younger. Ginny's very much involved with David, and if you don't do anything about it, I'm afraid to say you might lose her."

"Croft is an idiot and a wanker. Even Colin Creevey is better than him; too bad he's gay, though."

"Language, Ron. And besides, David is a very nice guy. He's very hard-working and he really thinks of the future," Hermione said.

"Doesn't stop him from being an idiot. He said once that the twins and I have pea-sized intellects, if you recall that, sweetheart," Ron argued, his ears red—not a very good sign.

Hermione huffed. "But that was before he knew you guys were Ginny's brothers! And he only called you that because you and the twins fed him one of those Puking Pastilles, if you remember that too, honey!"

"See? He only became extra polite to us when he found out we were blood relations to the girl he wanted to shag! Admit it, sweetheart, he _is_ an idiot."

"Fine!" Hermione said, giving in. "He's a bit of an idiot but it's still Ginny who has the final say."

"It's only a matter of weeks before Ginny dumps him, I can see that," Ron said, smiling triumphantly.

"Honey, you've been saying that for the last two years and nothing's happened," Hermione said patiently.

"But Harry is here now!" Ron said dramatically.

"So? She's still with David, and Harry isn't exactly doing something about it, right?"

"What are you saying? That Harry isn't the perfect guy for my sister?" Ron snapped. "Because I don't think so! I've known he's meant for my sister since I was twelve, SWEETHEART!"

"I didn't say that! In fact, I'd be very glad if Harry and Ginny finally get together again, so don't accuse me of thinking of those things, HONEY!"

Harry felt that he really needed to interrupt before a huge Weasley-vs.-Weasley brawl occurred. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys, but we're here to talk about Ginny and me, right?"

"As I was saying, Harry." Hermione huffed, ignoring Ron's hisses. "Do something about it. If Ginny means so much to you—"

"You know very well that Ginny's everything in my life," Harry snapped.

"I know, Harry, and I'm trying to help you here, so don't snap at me," she said, pursing her lips. "Anyway, I want you to do something about it before anything happens. And if that doesn't help convince you, I'd just like you to know that I know Ginny loves you back."

"But didn't she give up on him years ago?" Ron asked.

"Honey, there is a huge difference between _giving up_ and _getting over_."

Ron smiled proudly. "How the hell did you become so good at these things? Why didn't I see it before?"

"I can proudly say that I do _not_ have an emotional scope of a baboon, honey," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Anyway," Hermione continued, ignoring her husband. "I told you, I know she loves you. Now it's up to you know to let her know that you do, too."

"But she seems so happy with David," Harry said.

"Happy? You have absolutely no idea!" Hermione snorted. "Now Harry, I think that before you do anything, you should set out the pros and cons here."

"Blimey, Hermione," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "This is his happiness we're talking about! We don't need to list the bloody pros and cons! This isn't Potions!"

"I'm just being organized, Ron," Hermione said, turning to her husband.

"This is life! It's very much different from homework."

"Well, you can't expect great results if you don't organize well," she threw back scathingly.

"Piece of advice, mate," Ron said, turning to Harry and ignoring his wife. "Don't open anything you'll be receiving from her on your birthday. It's likely she'd be giving you a love-life planner."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"Bottom line, Harry," Ron said, still ignoring Hermione. "Do something about it before bloody Croft proposes to my sister and she accepts it."

"Wait, are you telling me he's proposing?" Harry asked quickly.

Ron shook his head. "I dunno. But still, hurry up and do something about it."

"You see, Ron? You aren't doing anything to clear things up for Harry! If we list the pros—"

"Cut it out, Hermione!" Ron said exasperatedly.

"ALL RIGHT!" Harry said loudly before anything untoward could happen. "I'll just think about it and do something on my own. And yes, Hermione," he added when he noticed Hermione opening her mouth to interrupt, "I will list the pros and cons."

"So, that's it!" Ron said, standing up. "Let's all go to sleep now. Harry, I think you'd better stay here for the night. You just take the bedroom beside Aya's."

"Okay, you guys go ahead. I guess I'll stay here for a while."

"Good night then," Hermione said, looking down at him. "But think about it, all right? It's not going to work if—"

Ron suddenly scooped Hermione into his arms, obviously doing something to keep her from babbling once more. "Time for the baboon to get his wife to their quarters. 'Night, mate."

"'Night." Harry chuckled, watching his best friends ascend the staircase together; Ron was whispering words to her and Hermione was laughing and slapping him playfully. No matter how often they fight, they couldn't deny the fact that they love each other. That they belong together.

Harry watched them, his insides writhing in jealousy. _Ginny loves you, _Hermione's words echoed in his brain. They were words of comfort, yes, but they still didn't change the fact that he was experiencing one huge emotional roller-coaster ride. And as he heard their bedroom door close, Harry closed his eyes, imagining it was him and Ginny inside that bedroom.

_**To be continued...**_

_A/N: Another round of thanks goes to our betas, JennaMae, KC, and Solveig. We love you guys so much! Much love and evilness goes out to the Pink Pansies._


	4. Chapter 4: Babysitting Aya

**Chapter 4: Babysitting Aya**

With the mid-morning sun's rays creeping in between the curtains and drowning the room with whiteness, Harry stirred in his bed, stretched out his arms, and reached for his bedside clock, which boldly read, "No appointments for today; you can go back to sleep."

Harry let out a long yawn and put the clock back on his bedside table. He turned to his side and grabbed the pillow that was lying beside him. He then let his mind wander to the person who had been invading his thoughts since he arrived last week. Her bright red hair was flying in the gentle breeze, framing her face beautifully. She was smiling—and laughing even.

"_I was just joking! Of course, I missed you! It's hard not to miss you, you know_," Ginny whispered with a little smile on her face. "_You always made my day_."

Harry smiled in his sleep as those words replayed in his mind. If only she knew how much joy those words brought him.

Images of Ginny floated in his mind—Ginny laughing, Ginny dancing, Ginny in Quidditch robes, Ginny picking flowers at the Burrow, Ginny throwing snowballs, Ginny staring at him blankly during his farewell party….

"Harry. Harry, wake up," a voice said, before a rather large pair of hands shook his shoulders.

Harry turned around and squinted. A blur of red was towering beside his bed and shaking him awake.

"About time! Get your bloody arse out of bed, mate!"

Harry groaned loudly and pulled the covers over his head. "Go away, Ron! It's still bloody early." _Remember to kill this Weasley for ruining my sleep_, he mentally noted.

"Get up, you lazy oaf!" Ron said, pulling off Harry's covers. "It's half past ten and it's still early for you?" He picked up a pillow and threw it hard onto his friend's face, wincing as he caught sight of Harry's half-naked body. "Get up and put some clothes on!"

Harry grabbed the pillow, which had landed squarely on his face, and threw it back at his so-called best friend. "Fine, fine! I'm getting up," he muttered irritably as he sat up on his bed. "What do you want?"

"I need you to baby-sit Aya," Ron said, throwing a pair of trousers he found hanging on a nearby chair at his friend. "Hermione's working out of town and won't be back until the weekend."

"But I thought you're on leave. Did something happen at the Ministry?" Harry asked while putting on the trousers over the black boxers he had slept in.

"Apparently, yes," Ron said as he sent Harry's shirt flying toward him. "But what it is, I don't know yet. C'mon, mate, you still owe us for not being there during her birth and—"

"All right, all right." Harry threw up his hands in defeat. "I'll baby-sit Aya. No need for the guilt trip."

Ron beamed. "Thanks, mate. I know I could count on you. She's in the living room with Kingsley's head on the Floo." And without another word, Ron Disapparated.

Harry heaved a sigh before padding toward his bathroom, splashing his face with water, and putting on the first set of robes he could get his hands on. He couldn't deny that he felt a little useless and left out for not being there, whatever it was. He was so used to being at the frontline in every emergency situation, leading his Auror group, and being in command. He loved the feel of adrenaline running through his veins during the countless operations. But now, he was stuck at home and baby-sitting his goddaughter. So much for being the Ministry's so-called premier Auror.

"Aya?" Harry called out as soon as he appeared in Fowlgrove's living room.

Aya's mattress was sprawled on the floor, her dozens of toys littering the place, but there was no trace of his goddaughter anywhere. Harry glanced at the fireplace; Kingsley's head was not there, either.

"Aya?" he called out again, panic slowly creeping into his voice. _Where the hell was Kingsley?_ "Aya? Baby, where are you?"

"Ronald Weasley! Why in the world did you leave your—Harry?"

Harry spun around and saw Ginny, her hands on her hips, standing at the kitchen doorway. Her long red hair was pulled back in a loose bun at the top of her head, with a few stray strands hanging loose at the sides and perfectly framing her face. Her brows were furrowed, and her bright brown eyes were alight with a mix of irritation and surprise. He couldn't help the small smile that was slowly spreading across his face; she looked like a smaller and younger version of Molly Weasley.

"Hullo, Ginny."

"Oh, hi, Harry," she greeted back, a smile replacing the surprised look on her face.

"Have you seen Aya?"

"She's in the kitchen," Ginny said, her voice suddenly changing from warm to annoyed. "And while we're at it, do you know why the hell Ron left his daughter alone with only Kingsley's head on the Floo? Good thing I dropped by. God knows what could have happened if I hadn't?"

"There's an emergency at the Ministry and Ron dragged me out of my bed to baby-sit Aya," Harry said.

"Oh." Ginny's expression softened a little. "But he could have still dropped her at the Burrow or at my flat—or even yours rather than leaving her alone here."

Harry laughed to himself. She sure sounded like Molly reprimanding her misbehaving sons. It was hard not to notice how Ginny's eyes emanated the same furious glow as her mother's, how her cheeks flushed into the same shade of faint red that seemed to make her hair brighter and more vibrant than usual. But he must have failed in hiding his laughter because Ginny gave him her infamous death glare.

"What's with the laugh?" Ginny demanded.

"Oh, no-nothing," he lied.

Ginny cocked her eyebrows at Harry. "Is that what New York did to you? You laugh with no reason at all?"

"Well, no. Er—well, I just realized how much you live up to your name," Harry said, his voice bordering on a teasing tone. "You sounded like your mum back there."

"I did?"

Harry smirked. "Yes, you did, Ginevra Molly."

"Shut up, Harry."

"Why? You have such a nice name," Harry teased, his lips curling into a mischievous smile. He knew very well that Ginny didn't like to be called by her full name. "Ginevra—it sounds exotic, you know."

Ginny threw Aya's bib at Harry. "Shut it, Potter!"

Harry chuckled, catching the bib before it could hit his face. "I think this is let's-throw-things-at-Harry's-face day. First Ron, and now you." He pretended to sniff the bib and then screwed up his face. "Aya didn't barf on this, right?"

"No, but I can make her puke on it. Then I'll throw it at your face again," she said in a dead serious tone, but her eyes were shining with mischief.

Their eyes met for a second before both of them erupted into gales of laughter. They continued chortling until they heard the sound of silverware crashing to the floor.

"Oops, I better get back to Aya before she messes up the whole kitchen," Ginny said, taking the bib from Harry. "You can go back home; I'll do the baby-sitting."

"Nah, it's okay. I have nothing to do anyway," Harry said, smiling a little. "And besides, Ron already ruined my sleep."

Ginny smiled back. "If you say so. C'mon, I'll whip you up some breakfast."

Harry followed her to the kitchen, making mental note to thank Ron for dragging him out of bed.

* * *

"I miss this," Harry said as Ginny tapped a particular brick in the wall behind the Leaky Cauldron thrice. At that instant, the wall moved, creating an archway into Diagon Alley. After they had eaten a sumptuous lunch at the pub (Harry had decided to order a little of everything on the menu, and Ginny didn't mind at all since it was his treat), he had insisted that they stroll around Diagon Alley to waste away the afternoon, and to aid their full stomachs in digesting the great amounts of food they had ingested.

Ginny laughed. "They don't have a secret entrance thing in America?"

"They do, but this is still different," Harry said. "Everything here has a homey feel to it, something that wasn't there."

An amused smile spread across her features. "You didn't really forget about London, did you?"

Harry nodded as his eyes darted from left to right in a kind of rapture that reminded Ginny of the way her two nephews' eyes lit up whenever they paid a visit to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. "Yes, you really can't forget about your home, right?

"Of course," Ginny agreed, watching as both Harry and Aya excitedly surveyed the shops they passed.

Florean Fortescue was serving a group of teenagers outside his ice cream parlor when Ginny and Harry passed by. "Good day, Ginny," he greeted, slightly tipping his hat.

"Hello, Florean," Ginny greeted back.

"Hello, Da—" Florean stopped short as his eyes wandered to the man standing beside Ginny and lit up as recognition dawned on his face. "Harry Potter! It's good to have you back!" He crossed along the tables that lined the outside of his shop to where Harry and Ginny were standing and shook Harry's hand.

Ginny's lips curled into a smile as the two engaged in the usual small talk on how Harry had been, why he was here, and how long he would be staying. The conversation even turned into a recollection of one or two memories from when Harry had stayed in the parlor every afternoon, finishing his holiday homework, the summer before his third year. After a few minutes of friendly chatter, they bid their goodbyes and Florean insisted on giving Aya a huge ice cream cone; she had been eyeing the sundaes of the teenagers from a nearby table.

"Always a cheerful chap, Florean," Harry said, holding the cone as Aya happily licked her ice cream. "And you, little girl, have one awfully huge stomach. You really are a Weasley."

"Hey!" Ginny exclaimed. "What was that supposed to mean?"

Harry gave her a sideways glance; an impish smile was plastered on his face. "Nothing. I meant that Aya's got her father's humongous appetite."

"Better make that clear."

Harry let out a chuckle and continued feeding Aya her ice cream. Ginny turned to look at the two and saw the unmistakable glint of mirth in Harry's eyes. Those eyes would always make her melt under their gaze, but without the glasses framing them, they seemed to be a brighter shade of green than she remembered. They seemed bolder, more naked. It seemed like something was missing. Not that she hadn't noticed that Harry actually looked good without his glasses on, but she found the old Harry—the bespectacled Harry—more endearing.

"You know what I really miss? Your glasses," Ginny suddenly blurted out before she could even stop herself from voicing her thoughts.

Harry stopped walking and turned to Ginny, his lips twisted into a small smile. "Really?"

Ginny nodded. "They make you look so… so Harry."

Confusion replaced the smile on Harry's face. "So _hairy_?"

"No, I meant so _Harry_."

"So Harry?"

"Yeah, my Harry. Our Harry."

Harry's face flushed into a faint shade of red as he caught her gaze. A silly grin was spreading across Harry's face and she knew that it somehow matched her own.

"'Ore," Aya chirped, making both Harry and Ginny jump a little and breaking their eye contact.

Ginny leaned over and saw that her goddaughter's face was smudged with ice cream; chocolate was trickling down from her lips to the front of her favorite pink robes. "Look at that mess you made! Clearly, your godfather doesn't know how to feed you properly."

"Hey! I was not the one who was devouring the ice cream like her father!"

"But Harry could still have made sure that you look beautiful," she cooed, making the little girl giggle. In a simple flick of her wand, all the traces of ice cream on Aya's face and dress vanished. "There, Aya's pretty once again." Ginny turned to Harry and told him off in a mock reprimanding tone: "Now, let her finish her ice cream and don't mess up her robes again."

Harry held back a chuckle and nodded like a little boy who had been scolded by his mother. "Yes, Auntie Ginny."

"That's more like it."

They continued walking in silence as Harry fed their goddaughter her ice cream, making cooing voices every now and then that made Aya's laughter rang in the air. And Ginny found it so endearing. Being stationed at the children's ward of St. Mungo's, she knew that it was hard to find a man who could stand children who were not his own. A perfect example was Percy, who couldn't stand Bill's sons once in a while, especially when the two were playing their usual pranks on his twin daughters.

Ginny continued to secretly watch Harry play with Aya in awe; she smiled to herself as she noticed the bond the two were slowly creating. If she hadn't been there when Hermione was giving birth to Aya (while cursing Ron for the pain she had to go through), she would have thought that they were actually father and daughter just by judging the way they acted around each other. Adoration was evident in their eyes.

"There," Harry said a few minutes later, "we're done with our ice cream! And see, Auntie Ginny, Aya is still as pretty as ever." Harry shifted the little girl in his arms so she could face Ginny.

"That's good, then," Ginny said approvingly as the child gave her a huge smile and showed her chocolate-stained teeth. She leaned over and wiped Aya's lips with her handkerchief, cleaning off the few smudges of ice cream at the corners of her mouth.

"Let me see how beautiful you are," Harry cooed. He turned Aya around to face him and she gave him another wide smile. Harry chuckled and nuzzled his nose at the crook of her neck, making Aya erupt into high-pitched giggles.

"I think you ought to have a little reward," he said with a child-like glee in his voice, and Ginny couldn't help but notice the spark of excitement in his eyes. "How about a new toy? Would you like that?"

Aya nodded excitedly, bouncing up and down in Harry's arms.

"What do you say, Auntie Ginny?" Harry asked, giving her a sideways glance that she had missed seeing. It was one of those glances she loved very much.

"Sure." She smiled to hide her stammering. _Easy now, Weasley._

At her answer, both Harry and Aya gave an excited squeal and hurried over to the toyshop a few stores away. She took a deep breath before following them. She couldn't understand why she was having these reactions after all these years. She was already over him. When she reached Rohayna's Magical Toys for Magical Children, Harry was still standing at the entrance, holding the door open for her. They exchanged silent smiles that gave Ginny goose pimples. If Harry had noticed it, he didn't let it show since he automatically made a beeline for the Quidditch section.

"How about a toy broomstick?" he asked, holding out a smaller-sized replica of a Nimbus Two Thousand and Seven for Ginny's approval.

"Absolutely not," Ginny replied; she took the toy from him and put it back on the rack with the other toy broomsticks.

"Why not? Don't you want your goddaughter to be an excellent flier like you?"

"Your compliments will get you nowhere, Potter," she said. "And, well, yes, I suppose I want my goddaughter to play Quidditch, too, but Aya's too young to play with toy broomsticks. And I don't suppose Hermione would be too happy when she learned that we gave Aya a broomstick this early."

Ginny walked ahead of him, surveying the rest of the toys. She stopped at the dolls section, and her lips curled into a wicked grin.

"How about we buy her a good, old-fashioned doll? Like this one," she said, taking a medium-sized doll from the racks and holding it out to Aya. "Do you like it, baby?"

Upon seeing the toy in Ginny's hands, Harry's expression changed from exuberant to disgusted in a matter of seconds. She was holding the Harry Potter, The Chosen One doll that had circulated a year after Voldemort's defeat. His doll self was wearing Hogwarts robes and round glasses, and had an exaggeratedly visible lightning bolt scar on the forehead.

"Absolutely _not_," Harry said firmly. "I can't believe they still have those." Harry's face continued to flinch as he grabbed the doll from Ginny and put it back onto the rack.

"No!" Aya suddenly cried. Her little hands grabbed his arms and pointed at the toy.

Ginny laughed when Harry's face blanched and his jaw dropped an inch. She triumphantly picked the doll up again and gave it to Aya, who squealed at once. Ginny turned to Harry and give him a victorious smile. "See? I told you she'd like it."

"I can't believe you," he muttered, still cringing at the doll.

"Why? Don't you like it?" Ginny teased. "You actually looked good here, you know."

Harry shuddered even more and that made Ginny snicker harder. She was still laughing when the owner approached them.

"Good afternoon! May I help you?" she asked with a smile.

Ginny smiled back, trying her best to control her laughter. "It's okay, we're just looking at the dolls."

Rohayna's raven black eyes fell onto Aya, then shifted to Ginny and back to the little girl again, the smile on her face spreading further. "Oh, your daughter's so cute," she gushed, glancing to both Harry and Ginny. "She looks just like her mummy!"

Ginny felt that it was her jaw's turn to drop as she stared at Rohayna in surprise and disbelief. _What?_ She wasn't Aya's mum! She wanted to protest, but it seemed as though the ability to speak had left her and all she could do was to stare at Rohayna incredulously. However, Rohayna was cooing at Aya and didn't notice Ginny's reaction. Ginny turned to Harry as if asking him what they should do. He met her gaze and gave her a small smile.

Cuddling the child closer, Harry turned to Rohayna and smiled. "We'd like to buy the doll," he said. "Could you ring this up for us?"

"Certainly," she said, beaming.

Rohayna turned around and walked to the back of the shop with a smiling Harry and a giggling Aya behind her, leaving Ginny still rooted on the ground, the thousands of possibilities of what the shopkeeper's comment might have meant beginning to slowly sink into her.

* * *

Being careful not to step on a loose floorboard, Harry climbed up the stairs to Aya's bedroom a little over an hour after Ginny had brought her up for her afternoon nap. He had flipped through almost all of Ron's copies of _Quidditch Unlimited_ while waiting for Ginny to come back down before he had decided to check on them.

The second floor hallway was lined with various portraits of Ron, Hermione, and Aya and one or two photographs of him with his two best friends. Harry smiled as he saw a picture of the three of them during Ron and Hermione's engagement party. He was standing beside Hermione (with Ron on her other side), and his right arm was wrapped around her while his left was raising his wineglass for a toast. They were beaming; love and bliss were clearly emanating from his best friends' eyes. Three years hadn't changed anything at all.

Aya's bedroom wasn't hard to miss. Colorful letter cutouts spelling her name were charmed to her door, together with a picture of a young witch standing behind a cauldron and beside a stack of books. Harry turned the knob slowly and peeked in through the open door. Curled up on the bed and sleeping soundly were Aya and Ginny. Aya's little frame was pressed closely against Ginny's, her little hands resting beneath her chin. Harry smiled. They both looked so peaceful, so beautiful. He soundlessly walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

He noticed how Aya looked unmistakably more like a Weasley than a Granger. She had the Weasleys' vibrant red hair, pale skin, and freckles that decorated her cheeks and nose beautifully—just like Ginny's. His eyes swept to Ginny; Aya could easily pass as a young Ginny Weasley. In fact, Aya looked more like her aunt than her mother. No wonder they could be mistaken for mother and daughter—just like what had happened that day.

Judging from Ginny's reaction, Harry knew that she had been taken aback by the shop owner's comments, just as he had. He already had been anticipating that Rohayna would recognize him—like a lot of other people did—so he hadn't been expecting what she had said. He hadn't wanted to embarrass Ginny by agreeing with Rohayna's impression, but he couldn't make himself correct Rohayna either. Neither confirming nor denying had seemed to be the best and only recourse he had. He had only smiled politely and paid for the doll, even if he didn't want to see even a single strand of hair from it.

He knew that anyone thrown into that situation would normally correct the shopkeeper's impression but neither of them had—at least he couldn't.

"Your daughter's really pretty," Rohayna had said as she put the doll inside a bag. "You and your wife must be proud."

Again, he had only smiled and thanked her when she handed him their purchase, not saying anything about it for the second time. After one last smile at Rohayna, he had turned around and led the still-speechless Ginny out of the store. She had remained silent until they had arrived at Fowlgrove.

Harry reached over and brushed Aya's hair off her forehead and leaned over to kiss her. She stirred a little and he let her drift back into a deep sleep. His gaze fell on Ginny, watching her as her chest rose and fell in a rhythm that only suggested a peaceful sleep.

Harry found his mind forming an image of him marrying Ginny. She was walking down the aisle, looking more beautiful than ever in her snow white bridal gown, and Harry stood at the altar mesmerized. As he watched them sleep, he imagined that he was looking down at his wife and daughter—his lovely wife and beautiful daughter. He found himself smiling further at the thought. He knew he would have reacted differently at the toyshop that afternoon if that were the case; he might have told Rohayna how proud and lucky he was for having them in his life, and how blessed he was for being given the chance to spend the rest of his life with them.

Hesitantly, he leaned over and tried to touch Ginny's face and brush the stray strands of hair off her face, when she suddenly stirred. Harry sat back up as she slowly opened her eyes. She gave him a smile the minute her eyes fell upon him.

"Yes, Harry?" she asked sleepily.

Harry smiled back and shook his head. "I'm just checking on you both. I'll just be downstairs if you need me." He leaned over again, gave Aya a kiss, stood up from the bed, and walked out of the room.

Before closing the door, he took another look at Ginny as she cuddled closer to Aya. It made them look even more like mother and child. Harry smiled to himself, imagining how happy and contented he might have felt if only the two beautiful redheads he was looking at were really his wife and daughter.

_**To be continued…**_

_A/N: Sorry for the long delay of this chapter. RL has taken its toll in our writing. Our greatest thanks to one of the best books in the _Harry Potter_ series, _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_, for kicking us hard in the head, for bringing our muse back, and for realizing how much we love this story. We can't promise speedy updates, but at least the interval wouldn't be as long as this one—we hope._

_Thanks to the Girl Genius for making a cameo in this chapter (without her knowledge, of course); we know you wouldn't mind, anyway. Much of our love goes to the best beta readers two girls can ask for: JennaMae and DailyProphetReporting. _


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